Semester: Spring 2011

Instructor: Dr. Julie Caplow

Credits: 3

 

Course Description

In this course, we will learn about processes and procedures for conducting action research.  During the course, you will go through the steps of designing an action research project.  Unfortunately, there isn't sufficient time during a regular academic semester to design an action research project, and then actually conduct the project. However, by the end of the semester, you should have a plan for an action research project that you can implement.  In sum, this course will focus on learning and understanding 1) concepts associated with action research and 2) processes and procedures for conducting action research.  The culminating final course project will be a plan for an action research project.

Reflection Statement

When I taught music, my schedule required me to teach the same lesson to several classes of students each week.  Each lesson rarely looked exactly the same on the last day as it did on the first day it was taught.  I have informally experimented with different ways of teaching the same objectives for several years, but completing this course has shown me how to formalize the process of seeking to understand how my practices enhance or hinder student learning.  Completing the action research plan encouraged me to create networks of support as I seek to improve my classroom instruction while helping others do the same.  It is likely that other educators are considering the same questions and there may be answers to these questions in published literature, online communities, or even across the hall.  If the answers I seek are not available in these places, I now have the resources and skills to search for answers in my classroom either individually or with a network of educators seeking similar answers. Completing this course has encouraged me to ask more questions and think critically about how I influence student learning both positively and negatively.

Artifacts

• Action Research Plan (PDF)
  • My action research plan focuses on the use of a mobile netbook lab at Fire Prairie Middle School. Data for this project is collected through published articles, teacher interviews, and the scheduling history of the lab. The project seeks to improve how the lab is used for student learning and determine what support is needed by teachers to use the lab in the future.